Douglas’s Squirrel Lewis and Clark Expedition

Photo: NPS/Frank Lospalluto

William Clark wrote about the Douglas’s Squirrel in his February 24, 1806 journal entry, along with several other newly observed animals. He wrote: “The Small brown Squirel is a butifull little animal about the size of the red Squirel of the E. States or Something larger than the ground Squirel of the U States.”

Often called a chickaree or pine squirrel, John Muir described the small “Tamiasciurus douglasii,” as "…without exception, the wildest animal I ever saw,—a fiery, sputtering little bolt of life, luxuriating in quick oxygen and the woods’ best juices.” Known as the noisiest squirrel due to their wide range of calls, they only live in coniferous forest habitats along the Pacific Coast, from the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, north to the southwestern coast of British Columbia.

Douglas’s Squirrels are smaller than most other squirrels. The adults are about eight inches in length (not including its tail, which is about five inches long), and they weigh between 5-11 ounces.

Their appearance varies according to the season. In the summer, they are greyish or almost greenish-brown on their backs, and pale orange on the chest and belly, while legs and feet appear brown. In the winter, the coat is browner and the underside is grayer.